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issues
Update on Orica's HCB waste at Botany
The German People stopped Orica's crazy plan.
Orica's attack on the Greens over its failed attempt to sneak toxic waste into our country (Greens slammed over HCB; Southern Courier 26 June) is nothing but political spin-doctoring. Botany people should be angry where it really belongs...at Orica, the Australian Federal and State Governments who have utterly failed to safely treat this waste in Australia for decades. We thank the Greens for letting us know about this secret plan.
Orica created a furore among our people with its crazy plan to ship highly toxic HCB halfway across the planet and burn it in 4 incinerators in Dormagen, Leverkusen, Brunsbuttel and Herten - two of which belong to the chemical company Bayer. If it is too dangerous to deal with the waste in the Botany community why is it suddenly OK to dump the waste in our communities?
Imports of waste products to the Western part of Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia, 18 million inhabitants) alone amount to more than 2.4 million tonnes per year, about a quarter of which is hazardous waste. It is not acceptable that such a densely populated region, which already has a high level of ecological damage, is the destination for international toxic waste traffic. The population is endangered not only through the discharge of toxic substances by the incinerators (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, dust, carbon monoxide and many more), but also by the transport of this toxic waste. There are more and more accidents in water, rail and road transport. Another problem is the filter cake which occurs when cleaning the waste gas; this contains many toxins and must be deposited over decades.
As for Orica's distorted argument that 'one bureaucrat' is stopping the export, this it is just nonsense. Mayors of eleven cities representing more than a million Germans loudly condemned the plan. 15.000 citizens signed petitions and community and Church groups called on our Government to stop Orica's attempt to dump toxic waste in Germany. Yes the German Greens spoke out also but so did Social Democrats and Christian Democrats. The two State Ministers who flatly rejected the toxic waste deal are conservative politicians from the Christian Democratic Union...not Greens.
Orica's failure to deal with its toxic waste in a timely and safe manner has caused great pain for Botany citizens and it is shameful that Labor and Liberal governments have not supported the Botany people with plans for safe and final destruction of the Orica waste within Australia. You are a developed country that has the technology and the know-how to safely treat the waste. Orica's failure to trick Germans that toxic waste is good for them is entirely their own fault.
Australia please do not send us any more your toxic waste - treat it yourself!
With Regards,
Philipp Mimkes
Coalition against Bayer Dangers
www.CBGnetwork.org (also in English)
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